Improvement in washing-machines



W.W. HU'BBELL.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Ptent ed'J'anJl, 1876 N PETERS, FHDTO-LITNOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C,

UNITED 1 STATES PATENT OFF rcn.

WILLIAM WHEELER HUBBELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

: Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 172,122, dated January 11, 1875; application filed July 15, 1874.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WHEELER HUBBELL, of the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a Olothes' ran gement of the various parts of my machine,

by which they operate together to hold the clothes and force the water through them while so held, removing the dirt therefrom and depositing it in a lower chamber.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a vertical section through the center of the entire machine, on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top view, looking downward, out on the line 6 6, the upper part being removed. Fig. 3 is a view of the bottom of a section of the lower plate 9 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the stationary plates a removed. Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the inner wings h removed. Fig. 6 is a side view of the rotating curved blades 0, removed.

Like letters indicate similar parts in the Figs. 1 and 2, in which these several parts are shown in place, and as organized or combined with the other parts of the machine.

The outer case a is made of, wood or metal. I prefer galvanized sheet-iron for the sides and bottom, secured to a wood base, t, with waste-pipe and plug U, and block S to incline the bottom toward the waste-pipe for the dirt to run out with the water. The upper end of this outer case a is surmounted with an annular collar, w to, which extends above the rotating clothes-case d d, as shown.

case d d, or the bottom of this collar w w- The rotating clothes-case has an upper ring of iron, S S, which, as it revolves, runs close to the base of the collar to prevent the water from escaping excessively upward. Below this ring or rim S S, outside of the re- The ma chine is to be filled with water to the top of onlips of the plates a at n, as shown, leaving a space at it around the diaphragm between these plates, so that the dlrt shall accumulate under this diaphragmplate m. The letters 0 indicate a small opening around the center block or step g, which step supports the vertical rotating shaft 1). This vertical shaft 19 carries the rotating cage or case d d,

of which 0 c is the outer circut of galvanized iron-gauze or open work, and ff is an inner circuit of the same, the meshes or openings of which should be about two-tenths of an inch, or less, or so small that a shirt-button cannot catch in them. V forms a covering to the machine, V being the side which opens upward on a hinge to admit the clothes. There is, or may be, used, an inner water-chamber,

jj, covered with a circular plate, r 1", formed by the inner circuit ff of gauze; but this circuit of gauze ff in this machine may be dispensed with, and a gauze bottom at g, extending entirely across the bottom, be alone employed as a substitute, in which event the central wings h z It will also be dispensed with, and the lower wingsl be alone employed to draw and force the water upward through the bottom and through the clothes within the cage. The upper plate or top 1' of the cage has a central hub, 1", connected to it by arms; and this hub T has the shaft 1) through it, and a cog-wheel, w, on its upper face, into which runs a cog wheel,1, with shaft andcrank Z to work the machine. These shafts run in a cross-beam at 19, the crank-journal being supported in a bearing attached to the rim w. The hub 1" supports the rotating case on its central vertical shaft 1). A sleeve surrounds this shaft, to which the inner edges of the blades h are secured, four in number. The

vertical faces of these blades h are curved backward and outward from the directionof rotation, so as to force the water outward, as indicated by the arrow 2, and are the best form of blade; but the blades may be set radially, and intervening small vertical plates K angle in the same direction, as shown, to stay the gauze, and assist to circulate the water. The upper ends of these wings are fast to the plate 1", and their lower ends to the plate 9, and impart rotation to the outer portions of the case therewith. The lower outer corners of the vertical blades h are bent at '5 forward to force the water upward through the openings j. When the gauze bottom is used these central wings and chamber being dispensed with, the shaft and sleeve alone remain in the center, with the clothes in the space around the shaft within the case a.

A most important part of my invention consists in attaching four oblique wings, l l, to the bottom plate g, both when it is perforated in the center only, or made entirely of perforations or of gauze, which wings rotate in the direction indicated by the arrows 1 and 4, the

direction of obliquity being as shown in Fig. 3; and these bottom wings lgather or force the water toward the central opening, or upw ward through the bottom g, as indicated by the arrows 7 and 8. Thus the water is kept circulatingthrough the clothes contained within the case at d, the water flowing as indicated by the arrows 2 3. This continual current carriesthe dirt out of the clothes and deposits it below the plate at m, where it remains.

To prepare the clothes, they should be first soaped and soaked, and placed in the case of the machine, hot water being used; and by drawing the plug U, and admitting fresh water through the top at V, the rotation of the case will rinse the clothes, the old water and dirt running 01f, and fresh water displacing it.

The plate m may be provided with legs attached to its under side to support it, or it may have bars extending to the step q to support it in place of the lips at a. One or more openings around it at n are necessary, to admit the dirt to settle between this plate and the bottom t. r

In working the machine it may be run with the case d revolving in a reverse direction, and thus force the water through the side of the case onto, and downward through, the clothes, and out at the bottom of the case. It will operate by rotating in either direction.

I claim as my invention- 1. The case or cage d, constructed as described, and provided with the blades 0, in combination with the case a, and inclosingrim S, substantially as described.

2. The wings l, attached to the bottom 9 of the revolving cage, in combination with the I,

plate m and chamber 12, substantially as described.

3. The directing-plates a, plate m, and bottom t, with discharge-pipe U, all stationary, in combination with the revolving cage d and wings Z, to direct the water and dirt for sepa-- ration, substantially as described.

WM. WHEELER HUBBELL.

Witnesses:

HARRY COLEMAN, T. 0. SMITH. 

